It's safe to say that Christina Aguilera has always been one to embrace and be empowered by her sexuality.
"I've gotten to know my vagina well over the last 42 years," she said. "And literally, there are pleasure points that keep opening up as you get older."
"That's something that I've really noticed. There are four different places that I can orgasm from around my vagina, and that is the truth," Christina continued.
Personally, I read that sentence and silently applauded the singer for being so open about female pleasure. I had the same reaction to Christina's candidness as I did when I first watched the famous Friends episode where Monica and Rachel explain to Joey and Chandler the different female erogenous zones. Basically, this isn't a topic that's often openly talked about.
Being a woman soon approaching 30, I was eager to explore this topic and learn more about how our bodies change as we get older, especially when it comes to sexual pleasure. So, in order to get more information on this, I reached out to Danielle Simpson-Baker, MA. She's a marriage and family therapy intern, and a board-certified sexologist.
Danielle confirmed that women can experience pleasure in different areas as they age. "Not only do our bodies change as we age, which may make some areas less sensitive and push us to explore others, we also gain more knowledge about our bodies as we get older," she told BuzzFeed.
"It's possible that along with that heightened awareness about our bodies comes more knowledge on how to derive pleasure from them as we get older," she explained.
Danielle also agreed with Christina that there are at least four places in the vagina that women can orgasm from.
"The clitoris, the g-spot (or the Gräfenberg spot), the cervix, and the a-spot (or the anterior fornix erogenous zone). The type of stimulation and amount of time it takes to reach orgasm may differ for each type of orgasm, but it is possible for most people to have an orgasm through any of these methods — unless you’re someone who deals with anorgasmia, or the inability to have an orgasm," Danielle explained.
Danielle said those are the four most common areas — but they can also vary from person to person.
Danielle also emphasized how important it is to keep in mind that women's bodies change over time — and how a woman's orgasms can vary.
"During the perimenopause (or pre-menopause) stage, blood flows to the vagina, vulva, and clitoris decrease, meaning it may take longer to experience pleasure or have an orgasm through direct stimulation of those areas," Danielle told BuzzFeed.
"That doesn’t mean it's impossible, just means that you’ll likely have to switch up the approach from time to time and be very patient," she added.
"Something else women find themselves having to do as they age is redefining what successful sex is as we get older. [They may also] lose some of the sexual capabilities that we’re used to having," said Danielle.
"However, it is important to note that with all that being said, many women report feeling more satisfied in their sex lives as they get older," she added.
It's important to keep in mind that it is completely normal and very common for women to have trouble reaching orgasm and it's nothing to be ashamed of — and we should normalize and talk openly about these things. For example, Rachel Bilson recently revealed in a podcast episode that she didn't orgasm from sex until her 30s.
"There are some women who find that they were once able to experience orgasm, but then experienced some kind of trauma, medical procedure, or another event that took away their ability to have an orgasm thereafter, which is acquired anorgasmia)," Danielle explained.
"The reasons for not being able to have an orgasm are vast, including but not limited to anxiety, side effects of medication, trauma, and aging. But yes, it is completely normal for women to have trouble with orgasm at some point throughout their lifespan for any number of reasons," she concluded.